Question:
I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
To thoroughly confuse you, a good first lens for your N80 … 50mm f/1.8 for under $100. <<
Next, go for a 24mm f/2.8 (under $300). Then, maybe an 85mm f/1.8 (about $300). The 50mm will give you good practice for well under your budget. As you can afford it, go for more lenses. Consider a good, used lens and save more. THe above primes will knock the socks off the zoom lens you’re considering. FWIW, I started out with zooms for my F100 and now use mostly primes. Best wishes! Steve
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
The standard lens that comes with the camera (the 28-80 AFD) is quite good. Sure there are better ones, but at the price it can’t be beat. For landscapes you can add a Cosina 19-35 or Tokina 19-35. These cost about $250 and are nice lenses for the money. Not top quality (you’d need to spend 10 times as much for that) but good enough for the casual photographer.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
I’m interested in this question as well as I’m about to replace my 28 year old mechanical Minolta SRT 303 (same as a 102). The lenses I use now are a Sigma 24mm/2.8, the old Vivitar Series 1 70-210/2.8, and the original Minolta Rokkor 50mm/1.4 to a lesser extent. Currently I’m leaning toward the N80. It’s half the weight of my old Minolta and feels more comfortable in my hand. I’m annoyed it doesn’t have a mirror lock-up or split image manual focus. Since my wife has a Nikon 2020, borrowing her Nikon 24mm/2.8 is a possibility if I stay with the brand as opposed to the Cannon Elan which I also considered. I played briefly with the new Tamron 28-200 XR. It’s amazingly light weight and compact. It seems a little slow but I notice that most of the zooms now are on the slow side until you hit the $1000+ range. It makes me wonder about my old 70-210. The reviews I’ve seen on the Tamron 28-200 XR look pretty good. Any opinions on using the XR with the N80 as an initial lense? On more than one occasion I’ve regretted leaving my camera at home because I didn’t want to lug it around. A light weight do everything combination is attractive even if it’s not optimal. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -The standard lens that comes with the camera (the 28-80 AFD) is quite good. Sure there are better ones, but at the price it can’t be beat. For landscapes you can add a Cosina 19-35 or Tokina 19-35. These cost about $250 and are nice lenses for the money. Not top quality (you’d need to spend 10 times as much for that) but good enough for the casual photographer. I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
PGP key available from "http://home.covad.net/~watcher/" Dave Moore
Response:
I would seriously think about the Nikkor AFD 28-105mm. This lens is versatile, has macro capability of 1:2, and works with the built-in N80 flash. There are a lot of people with Nikon F100’s using this lens with that camera. For me, it’s a natural choice with the N80.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
Irfan, Attached are some net wisdoms of which may or may not apply…. o 50mm f1.8 AF: The best value in a Nikon AF lens. This lens is critically acclaimed for its optical quality and speed. The 50mm focal length is considered by many as a versatile general purpose focal length (often labeled as a "normal" lens). o 35mm f2.0 AFD: An excellent performer, probably the best optical formulation of all the 35mm Nikkor lenses. Relatively small front element is easy to shade and filter. The 35mm focal length is an excellent focal length for environmental portraits (capturing people in the context of their environment) and general use. The close focusing capabilities this lens are excellent. o 28mm f2.8 AFD: The 28mm focal length is regarded as a good choice if you own only one wide angle lens. The 28mm focal length is a bit controversial in the Nikkor line. The 28mm f2.8 AFD Nikkor is reported to be the best of the 28mm choices (many are manual focus lenses which you should not use on the N80). [I think there is a 28mm AF and a 28mm AFD of which the AFD is the reported better lens.] This focal length is useful for landscapes. o 24mm f2.8 AFD: The 24mm focal length is the beginning of the ultra wide-angle lens range. Some care is needed in using this lens. The field of view is so large that it takes some experience to get used to getting the horizons level and the vertical lines, vertical. The lens can be used to accentuate strong foreground details with dramatically receding backgrounds. The 24mm f2.8 AFD Nikkor is an excellent optical performer, with dramatic close focusing capabilities. o 85mm f1.8 AFD: The 85mm focal length is often considered a portrait length lens. It offers a comfortable working distance between photographer and subject for capturing head and should portraits. It is also a good focal length for isolating interesting details in landscapes, architectural or scenic photography and it’s speed can often help for available light backup when other focal lengths are too slow (especially if traveling with a limited set of lenses). The lens is somewhat large and requires a filter size larger than the other lenses discussed above. It is also best used with the supplied hood to minimize loss of contrast due to lens flare. An excellent lens by all standards. This is not a close focusing lens. Check the specs for the minimum focusing distance. This mild telephoto is a good choice for a limited set and couples well with a 35mm or 28mm focal length for a light travel kit. Now for a first lens on a limited budget (for a camera body that is designed for autofocus lenses). I would almost always recommend the 50mm f1.8 AF Nikkor. This lens at $100 is a lens that you will always be able to afford to keep. It’s speed will make it useful in low light situations where other lenses may not be able to capture the desired image. With your interest in landscapes, the 28mm lens is another possibility. For many photojournalists, the 28mm is a bread and butter, general purpose lens. With some practice, it can be very effective for small groups and individuals. It is a good environmental portrait lens, but requires that the photographer be able to quickly establish a comfortable working relationship with the subject as the primary subject to camera distance is just a few feet. I personally prefer the 24mm focal length, however I believe that is too wide for a beginner in a restricted lens set. There are some on this group for which the 24mm is a bread and butter lens. IMO it is an uncommon photographic vision that starts at 24mm. IMO the 24mm (for landscape, architecture and special emphasis) coupled with the 35mm for general purpose covers 85% of my photographic work with a SLR. When working with a rangefinder, the 35/50 covers 100% of my work (the landscapes here are scenics or travel landscapes – I don’t know how that fits with your definition). I find that the 24mm focal length begs a tripod at first, especially where vertical and horizontal lines are involved (architectural stuff included). For crowd work, it’s just step in close (inside the foreground clutter) and get what you can’t get with a longer lens. For speed, optical quality, general versatility with some landscape capabilities, I think the 35mm f2.0 AFD lens is worth investigating. Only you will be able to tell if it comes close to your vision of what landscape photography requires. With a good, fast 35mm, I could do without the 50mm, however this is all a matter of taste. Good luck with your choice. Regards, Roger – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
If your interests lay in general walk-around picture taking, I suggest your very first lens should be either the 28-105mm or the 24-120mm lens. I have friends who use the 28-105mm lens and they seem to be happy with it. I use the 24-120mm lens and I don’t have any complaints worth noting, at least none that bother me. Between the two, I would favor the 24-120mm. Reason being that from 24mm to about 100mm it’s as good as can be expected. At 120mm it tends to be a little soft, but it’s still not bad. Considering that it covers the 28-105mm range and does well throughout that range, it would be my first choice of lenses. While at my local camera store procuring new stocks of film, I noticed Nikon had made a give-away reprint of the May 1997 published test reports on an F5 and a 24-120mm lens. If your interested in viewing what a lens of this design may be capable of, I scanned the major portion of the 24-120mm test report and uploaded it to my photo web page. Questions concerning the 24-120mm lens often appear and I thought since I had a copy of the report and it is a give-away publication, I would save it and supply it when interest in it was shown. It will appear large on your monitor but you can download it and fit it to your screen. http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=565239 Nick – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU PLAN! The N80 wont meter old lenses. Check it out before you buy if you plan on using lenses you already have. Jason – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Since my wife has a Nikon 2020, borrowing her Nikon 24mm/2.8 is a possibility if I stay with the brand as opposed to the Cannon Elan which I also considered.
Response:
The AF Nikkor 24-85/2.8-4.0 is a nice lens, and so is the 24-120/3.5-5.6. The 24-85 seems to be a tad better optically, and it is significantly faster, but the zoom range of the 24-120 is really handy. The 24-120 sells for around $400; the 24-85 is pricier, at around $460. I tend to use the 24-85 more often than the 24-120, since I rarely need focal lengths beyond 85, and the 24-85, as I’ve said, seems to be a little bit better optically, and it is comfortably fast.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
No, I have to strongly disagree with that. Buy a single, good zoom instead of multiple primes. The difference between a good prime and a good zoom is not significant for most photography; the zoom provides much better bang for the buck if you need more than just one focal length; and you don’t have to carry around multiple lenses with a zoom. The old saw about primes being so much better than zooms no longer has any validity; it hasn’t been valid for years now. At equivalent prices, you’ll get very close to the same optical quality in zooms and primes … certainly close enough to parity for most photo work, unless you photograph test charts all day.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – To thoroughly confuse you, a good first lens for your N80 … 50mm f/1.8 for under $100. << Next, go for a 24mm f/2.8 (under $300). Then, maybe an 85mm f/1.8 (about $300). The 50mm will give you good practice for well under your budget. As you can afford it, go for more lenses. Consider a good, used lens and save more. THe above primes will knock the socks off the zoom lens you’re considering. FWIW, I started out with zooms for my F100 and now use mostly primes. Best wishes! Steve I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
Attached are some net wisdoms of which may or may not apply….
None of them are zooms, which is sort of huge missing feature. Now for a first lens on a limited budget (for a camera body that is designed for autofocus lenses). I would almost always recommend the 50mm f1.8 AF Nikkor.
This isn’t a zoom, either. With your interest in landscapes, the 28mm lens is another possibility.
With a zoom, you get both. You give nice advice, but you completely ignored the request for a ZOOM, not a fixed-focal-length lens.
Response:
The big problem with either of these zooms is that they render the wonderful little built-in flash of the N80 virtually useless, since they block it, and tend to cause a "flash shadow" insuring that the N80 owner is going to have to fork out another $250 +/- for a flash. Additionally, each of the mentioned zooms will run approximately $150 to $200 more than the Nikkor AFD 28-105mm. I think few would argue that the additional cost certainly isn’t going into improved optics, actually, quite the opposite seems to be true. Then of course, we come to filter size. We move up from a comfortable 62mm to 72mm for each of the zooms you mentioned, which will, over time, add considerable expense to the ownership of these lenses. I think one could safely ask whether the addition of the Nikkor AFD 70-300mm ED lens to the Nikkor AFD 28-105mm wouldn’t make more sense at around $600 for both.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The AF Nikkor 24-85/2.8-4.0 is a nice lens, and so is the 24-120/3.5-5.6. The 24-85 seems to be a tad better optically, and it is significantly faster, but the zoom range of the 24-120 is really handy. The 24-120 sells for around $400; the 24-85 is pricier, at around $460. I tend to use the 24-85 more often than the 24-120, since I rarely need focal lengths beyond 85, and the 24-85, as I’ve said, seems to be a little bit better optically, and it is comfortably fast. I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
The big problem with either of these zooms is that they render the wonderful little built-in flash of the N80 virtually useless, since they block it, and tend to cause a "flash shadow" insuring that the N80 owner is going to have to fork out another $250 +/- for a flash.
Built-in flashes are of extremely limited usefulness, anyway, unless your subject is only about two feet away.
Response:
insuring that the N80 owner is going to have to fork out another $250 +/- for a flash. Built-in flashes are of extremely limited usefulness, anyway, unless your subject is only about two feet away.
I’m not sure about the N80, but, when I had an N70, I found the pop-up flash incredibly useful, and surpringly powerful. It had a GN of around 50, if I recall correctly. I kept forgetting, though, to remove the hood from my 35-70 AF 2.8, the lens I usually had mounted, and it would cast a nasty shadow….
Response:
Hi, Thank you to all of you who responded to my inquiry on my first lens purchase for the N80. I think I was able to obtain a lot more info than I possibly thought. I really appreciate all the help. Irfan
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
Response:
I’m not sure about the N80, but, when I had an N70, I found the pop-up flash incredibly useful, and surpringly powerful.
The N80 flash is large enough to definitely be useful in some situations, but it isn’t very efficient at lighting up a group of people at night or anything like that, whereas an external flash can often manage. It’s nice to have the built-in flash, though. I kept forgetting, though, to remove the hood from my 35-70 AF 2.8, the lens I usually had mounted, and it would cast a nasty shadow….
I have the same problem, although built-in flashes are so close to the lens already that the lens itself tends to cast a giant shadow.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -If your interests lay in general walk-around picture taking, I suggest your very first lens should be either the 28-105mm or the 24-120mm lens. I have friends who use the 28-105mm lens and they seem to be happy with it. I use the 24-120mm lens and I don’t have any complaints worth noting, at least none that bother me. Between the two, I would favor the 24-120mm. Reason being that from 24mm to about 100mm it’s as good as can be expected. At 120mm it tends to be a little soft, but it’s still not bad. Considering that it covers the 28-105mm range and does well throughout that range, it would be my first choice of lenses. While at my local camera store procuring new stocks of film, I noticed Nikon had made a give-away reprint of the May 1997 published test reports on an F5 and a 24-120mm lens. If your interested in viewing what a lens of this design may be capable of, I scanned the major portion of the 24-120mm test report and uploaded it to my photo web page. Questions concerning the 24-120mm lens often appear and I thought since I had a copy of the report and it is a give-away publication, I would save it and supply it when interest in it was shown. It will appear large on your monitor but you can download it and fit it to your screen. http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=565239
It mentions barrel distortion: does anyone know how bad it is on the 28-105 at 28mm compared to the 24-120 at 28mm? — Nic
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m interested in this question as well as I’m about to replace my 28 year old mechanical Minolta SRT 303 (same as a 102). The lenses I use now are a Sigma 24mm/2.8, the old Vivitar Series 1 70-210/2.8, and the original Minolta Rokkor 50mm/1.4 to a lesser extent. Currently I’m leaning toward the N80. It’s half the weight of my old Minolta and feels more comfortable in my hand. I’m annoyed it doesn’t have a mirror lock-up or split image manual focus. Since my wife has a Nikon 2020, borrowing her Nikon 24mm/2.8 is a possibility if I stay with the brand as opposed to the Cannon Elan which I also considered. I played briefly with the new Tamron 28-200 XR. It’s amazingly light weight and compact. It seems a little slow but I notice that most of the zooms now are on the slow side until you hit the $1000+ range. It makes me wonder about my old 70-210. The reviews I’ve seen on the Tamron 28-200 XR look pretty good. Any opinions on using the XR with the N80 as an initial lense? On more than one occasion I’ve regretted leaving my camera at home because I didn’t want to lug it around. A light weight do everything combination is attractive even if it’s not optimal. The standard lens that comes with the camera (the 28-80 AFD) is quite good. Sure there are better ones, but at the price it can’t be beat. For landscapes you can add a Cosina 19-35 or Tokina 19-35. These cost about $250 and are nice lenses for the money. Not top quality (you’d need to spend 10 times as much for that) but good enough for the casual photographer. I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks. PGP key available from "http://home.covad.net/~watcher/" Dave Moore
The Tamron 28-200 seems to be well received, as reviewed on Photography Review, a 4.67 rating is very high, although there are only 6 reviews so far. http://www.photographyreview.com/pscLenses/35mm,Zoom/Tamron,Industrie…
Response:
I would very much appreciate any advice on my first lens purchase for the Nikon’s N80 camera. The more I read the more I am confused about what I should get. I like to shoot landscapes mostly, though it would be nice to have one lens which can also serve as a zoom. The lenses I have looked at so far are in the 24/28-105 range. My budget for this purchase is about $300. Thanks.
I picked up a 35-70mm 2.8 lens on ebay for $290. What a bargain. I’ve heard many on this NG say that the 35-70 does not give you much range, but it sure beats having a fixed 35 or 80mm lens. I love this lens. A 28-105 can be had on ebay for under 300 unless the bidders go rabid, or the seller has a shill bidder hiking the bid up. Tokina makes a 28-200 that seems to get very good reviews. I posted a message earlier with that link, but have included it below. That is a new lens and may be hard to come by used, sells for about $330 new. Good luck with your N80. I had the N70 for 1.5 years, then moved up to the F100. If your results are as good with the N80 as I had with the N70, you will not be disappointed. I would cauton you about third party lenses, as the build quality on many of them are often suspect. Some are better than others. http://www.photographyreview.com/pscLenses/35mm,Zoom/Tamron,Industrie…
Response:
Charles www.wildviews.com Natural History Photography 
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